How to Prevent All Types of Diabetes and Slow Down its Complications

Here are 15 Ideas and ways to Prevent Diabetes will help you live healthier!15 Ideas for How to Prevent Diabetes

Educate yourself about Diabetes, Pre-Diabetes and how to prevent it

Learn causes and complications of Diabetes and how to stay healthy to prevent it.

Motivation often comes from understanding what we are doing that is making us unhealthy and potential future problems, as well as understanding what we can do to prevent those problems and to live better and healthier.

Knowing how to prevent diabetes starts with understanding diabetes and the health risks.

Be active

Being active is a very important part of how to prevent diabetes. When you regularly exercise (3-5x per week), it will not only help you maintain a healthy weight, but it also helps prevent your body from aging.

We were not made to sit around –this speeds up our body’s aging and break down at a cellular level. Being active and exercising is so beneficial on so many levels, that whatever you can do to motivate yourself to exercise, it will make you feel better!

Any activity that you do every day can help increase your metabolic rate, which then will help level out your blood glucose levels.

Eat whole foods

Eliminate as much processed foods from your diet as you can –frozen, packaged, fast foods, etc. There is so little nutrition in those foods and so much sugars, salts, additives, etc., which means you are getting so little nutritional value for your money.

Add vegetables –fresh, raw are best, second best are frozen and lastly canned.

Get your foods and grains in the least processed form you can –prevent diabetes and give your body good nutrition.

Eliminate High Glycemic foods

Try to get rid of as much white sugar, white flour, white breads, pastries, etc from your diet as you can.

Diabetes is when the body cannot produce enough insulin to convert glucose into energy –high glycemic foods have more glucose and need more insulin.

White sugars and flours are very high glycemic foods that spike your blood sugar and don’t give you much –if any nutrition –why pay for something that isn’t giving you any benefits?

Maintain a healthy weight

The more whole foods you eat and the less processed foods, the more your body will get the nutrition it needs and crave less food, which will ultimately cost less on your food budget and future health care.

The more you get regular exercise, the better you will feel and better your body will be to handle the stress of life and fight disease.

Excessive weight and body fat, especially around the abdomen, will increase the risk of developing diabetes. If you are eating healthy and getting regular exercise, you will more easily be able to maintain a weight that is healthy for you!

Eat fresh veggies and fruits for bioflavonoids

Research has shown that healthy bioflavonoids are in the pigment of fresh, raw veggies and fruits. Bioflavonoids can help stimulate insulin production and inhibit glycation (what makes food brown when cooked), which can lead to damage of cells.

Eat a high fiber diet

Fiber will make you feel full for longer and help provide the nutrition your body needs to have energy for longer.

Drink water

Most people don’t drink enough water and your body can get confused –it may think it needs food when really it needs water.

Avoid drinking soda pop, fruit juices and other sweetened beverages. If you can’t stand the taste of water, try to add a tea bag (like green tea) or something to add flavor without sugar.

It also helps avoid overeating- if you are eating from being bored, start by drinking enough water first, then eat very nutritious snacks that help your body feel fuller faster –like flax seed with Omega 3.

Do activities that are a part of life

Park further from the door and walk further when doing errands.

Use a push mower

Find a exercise buddy and be accountable

Do group exercise

Find fun exercises

Walk for a 1/2 hour 4 times a week

Find things you love to do and get exercise creatively –this is a great start in knowing how to prevent diabetes!

Check your blood sugar levels

Anyone who has risk factors and family history should have regular blood glucose testing done prior to age 45.

After age 45, everyone should have a blood glucose check every 3 years.

If you have risk factors, are overweight and/or have a family history of diabetes, many doctors recommend diabetes screening at age 30.

Know your family’s medical history

If 1 or more family members have diabetes, your risk of developing diabetes increases, so it is good to know family history and your risk factors in order to know how to prevent diabetes

Metformin along with lifestyle and diet change can help reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 31%.

Research is being done on other medications such as Xenical (weight loss) and Precose (night aid for preventing diabetes) along with other diabetes medications

Research has also shown that although some medications can delay the development of diabetes, diet and exercise changes work better. 30 minutes of moderate exercise along with 5-10% reduction in body weight had a 58% reduction in diabetes.

Get specific Recommendations for YOU!

Talk to your health practitioner about their specific recommendations for you.

Talk to a nutritionist and personal trainer if you could benefit from assistance in those specific areas.